Earls Court once again enjoyed hosting ICE, and the show’s popularity and growth continues; indeed, some grumblings were heard from the amusement side of the show, ATEI, as exhibitors complained about their floorspace being eaten into by the excellent casino exhibition. Such is the price of success.
Speaking of success, Novomatic’s stand enjoyed huge customer numbers from the moment the exhibition opened. It’s not just the frankfurters people visit for, it’s the technology, and this was encapsulated in the new Super-V+ Gaminator cabinet. This multi-game machine, specially designed for the company’s Coolfire II platform, features extra wide screens and at the show, demonstrated the Flexi-Link jackpot system, a multi-level mystery jackpot system, to great effect. Also of note is the effective third screen on the cabinet, which can be used for player marketing and much more.
No less than 15 new game titles were on show for the Coolfire II platform, with a further four for Coolfire I.
Of course, Novomatic are about much more than simply slot machines these days. Also on show was their very exciting electronic poker solution, a beautifully-designed machine which will certainly push its well-established rivals in this growing market.
The Novo Unity II multiplayer platform also had some new additions. Novo Texas Hold’em Poker and Novo TouchBet Live Blackjack both offer huge benefits to casinos – but then, in the multiplayer field, Novomatic’s touch equals gold, so these additions will need little to sell them. As for Novo Unity II, its increased processing power means better graphics and gameplay for customers, which can only be a good thing.
Novo-Vision Slant-Top II is a new multiplayer cabinet with a large 26” touchscreen, and an optional second 26” touchscreen above it; this second screen can stream a live Roulette wheel, for instance, or an animated display.
Finally, Novo-Bar is the Novomatic solution for bar-based gaming. With its adjustable viewing angle and high-definition display, this will no doubt be another hit for Novomatic.
In short, it was a great show for Novomatic – and with their continued investment and innovation, long may that continue. We’ll be looking at these new products in greater depth in a forthcoming issue of Casino International.
Dallmeier has great pedigree in its field of surveillance, and at ICE, presented its product from a new stand design. Their Cam_inPIX technology continues to enthrall customers, and its practical application solves a myriad of problems specific to casinos; strong lighting in some parts, dim in others, contrasting colours, and much more. And now they are producing their own Video Management Centre, the sky is the limit for this progressive company. The VMC offers huge flexibility for security experts, and needs to be experienced to understand its full benefits.
Atronic had a positive experience at ICE 2008, no great surprise when one considers the strength of the line-up of games, and the new titles which expand on the company’s appeal to operators. Following their extremely successful Deal Or No Deal product series, Atronic has expanded the brand’s presence in their game catalogue with the addition of Deal Or No Deal - The Experience, which boasts two progressive jackpots, new bonus features and betting options as well as extremely striking signage, to name just a few of its benefits. ICE was its European debut, and it drew plenty of attention. Also of note was the wide-area-progressive jackpot Deal Or No Deal Megadeal; Megadeal can be added to the existing rapid link Deal or No Deal machine banks.
Close by on the stand was the expansion of the Game of Life brand, the five-level progressive Game of Life Real Estate. It’s a beautiful-looking license, one of the best-executed on the market today, and the Real Estate variant does not disappoint.
Arguably most striking on Atronic’s stand was their new e-motion cabinet, e2-motion. The company is describing it as ‘the new face’ of the classic e-motion cabinet, with two 19” monitors, relocated player-tracking area, a cup holder, soft hand rest for the back buttons and a selection of benefits for casino technicians. It’s built for player comfort and really stands out from the crowd; most impressive indeed.
Of course, the biggest news from Atronic concerned their merger with GTECH subsidiary Spielo, with the announcement of the acquisition of 50 per cent of the company on January 31, with a further 50 per cent to be bought by the end of 2008. The deal values Atronic at around 172million Euro, which includes taking on the company’s debts. The deal is of course subject to review and approval. You can read more about this landmark deal and what it means for Atronic in a forthcoming issue of Casino International.
Heber used the show to preview their new Pluto 8 controller, which, the company says, gives outstanding video performance and powerful control capabilities. It has faster CPU and video performance, increased system and video memory, integrated onboard dual video and advanced triple-DES security.
Development kits for this well-received hardware are available from summer 08. UK Sales Manager John Malin said: “We received a fantastic response to Pluto 8 at ICE. The new Pluto controller will bring even further benefits to our customers in terms of price, performance and enhanced gaming functionality.”
Magic Dreams showed their attractive new 500ST cabinet in London, which was its official launch despite apparently already being introduced to some European markets. The company stated its intention to expand into Europe with the 500ST, and even as far afield as Latin America, where they will be exhibiting at FADJA and SAGSE Buenos Aires.
Abbiati had a good ICE, with a number of deals secured and a lot of interest in their RFID-enabled Poker tables. Jointly developed by Abbiati and Progressive Gaming, the tables are apparently a response to increasing customer demand for a 13.56Mhz PJM-enabled RFID poker tables, and allows for full auditing and verification of RFID enabled chips and pot totals. For serious poker rooms, product of this calibre is rapidly becoming a must-have. The simple touch screen interface provides the ability to set and calculate any pot percentage quickly and accurately and allows the operator to calculate multiple pots during the game.
Of course, Abbiati’s classic Roulettes and chips were also on show on the stand, alongside newer developments like multimedia displays linked to Roulette wheels.
CashCode brought a big story to ICE – a total repositioning of the company in product terms, happening in 2008. ICE was a ‘soft launch’ for their exciting new product, the FrontLoad standard, which is currently in field trials in the US, Australia and Russia. As CashCode’s Denis Antunes explains, the FrontLoad is pretty special. “The reason we’re trialling it in those three very distinct areas is that it is truly universal device. In the past all the manufacturers in our business would have to have different models for each of the countries, whether it’s different bill widths, different voltages used in their host machines or any other configuration; now we have a truly universal platform so OEMs now don’t have to manufacture different machines for different markets, or don’t have to order different machines for different markets from us because we have one product and it’s applicable to all of those customers.
Denis continued: “It’s a different way of thinking. There’s more strategic research and development that needs to go into making a product that is cost effective to be able to cover all of those bases so that the end result will be that the OEM will be able to save money by not having to stock different products, different parts for their individual customers.
“CashCode was actually first to patent a self-centring transport guide, which other manufacturers now have similar versions to, but they can’t do it as quickly. That’s the key significant difference. So now we have one product that will handle the US note as well as the £50 note here in the UK.
“It has an 85mm bill width, as small as 67mm and you can do that on the same unit. The memory can be upgraded to any limit which means you can essentially have an unlimited number of currencies on the same unit as well.
“If an OEM is selling to a core set of operators in various countries, we can have the unit preloaded with different currency sets, so for example we can have Australian and US on the same device and once they ship that, the operator can simply disable one of the currency sets, so if they’re using Australian they can simply disable the US recognition software, for example.” You will certainly be seeing a lot more of CashCode’s FrontLoad in future issues of Casino International.
FutureLogic started their 25th birthday celebrations at the show, with a cake cut every day; there’s always a good atmosphere on FutureLogic stands, not least because of their excellent thermal printer lines. John Edmunds, well known at trade shows worldwide, explained where the company’s staying power has come from: “We’ve grown over those 25 years because the products have been reliable.
“We spend a lot of time on the support and service, those are the focus of the company. It’s being able to not just sell reliable products but provide that support to their customers, casinos, so they’re getting that technical support, customer service, the after-sales package. It makes it easier to do business for our customers, and that’s the key thing.”
Shuffle Master agreed a deal with PGIC in September 2007, which gave them access to PGI’s progressive technology to use with their own content. This deal gave Shuffle Master a real boost – from a position of considerable strength, they can now give their customers even better product with further revenue streams. It’s win-win for Shuffle Master and their customers.
Roger Snow, Shuffle Master’s Senior Vice President of Products, explained the company’s path forward: “It’s definitely one of our biggest initiatives near-term, mid-term, and long-term, to take all of the games we have – three card poker, four card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em – and add an incremental wager opportunity, the progressive. It takes existing real estate and increases the value of that real estate, which makes more money for the casino.
“We’ve never had progressives on our games, it’s in our top three initiatives because we’ve already carved out so much real estate in the tables. So far we have about 22 progressives in the market place, in two casinos in Northern California and it’s only on Fortune Pai Gow Poker which is one of our most popular games, but the results are fantastic, off the chart. We’ve identified this opportunity and we’re giving the customers what they want – now it’s matter of just executing it.
Kirsten Clark, Shuffle Master’s Marketing Director, added: “It’s a very exciting time for us. We’re also very aggressively pushing out our i-Deal Shuffler which we debuted at G2E that features optical card recognition and remote diagnostics. We’re very encouraged by the feedback we’re getting from the initial casinos that are installing it, it’s a great addition to the tables.”
Cammegh, enjoying their win for the Slingshot 2 wheel at the International Gaming Awards, had a fantastic stand with a fresh new design. Slingshot 2 took pride of place on the stand, in its excellent new table top innovation which allows a live game to enjoy its increased security and games per day – which is of course increased turnover for a casino.
Their Billboard product was also prominent, and its HD format is sure to lead to increased sales; as an enticement to a Roulette table for passing customers, it’s hard to beat.
Also on their stand was their agent in France, Jean-Luc Profumo, who told Casino International that Cammegh’s profile in the country had risen dramatically in the past two years. With their product extensions – like the excellent Pitboss suite – and attention to detail, the sky’s the limit for Cammegh.
Status Contract of Milan also occupied part of the Cammegh stand as they had made some custom Roulette tables for the company; Slingshot 2, for example, sat on a Status table. The company specialises in custom-made furniture and it really added to Cammegh’s classic look.
EGT had their Vega Vision cabinet taking pride of place on their stand. It’s the cabinet that is fueling their growth into Asia, with Macau as the hub of their operation. The company is set to grow further with the completion of their new factory facility, expected later in 2008, which will raise their manufacturing capacity significantly. ICE saw their slant-top Vega Vision cabinet for the first time, along with four new games which will be followed by 15 more before the end of 2008.
The mixture of upright and slant top cabinets were connected to a network running EGT’s Classic Blend Jackpot, a progressive system which uses the upper 19” screen on the Vega Vision cabinet to convey jackpot information to players. Managing Director Vladimir Dokov explained: “With our new Vega Vision Series we have made a serious step forward in the company’s dedication to produce and offer only the highest quality of entertaining products and games to casino operators and players worldwide.” He also added that a new series of widescreen cabinets would be unveiled soon.
Aristocrat is another company that always seems to thrive at ICE, and 2008 was no exception. They had the European launch of their Viridian cabinet at the show, which is being hailed as their ‘green’ machine. It utilises Aristocrat’s Gen7 technology as its gaming platform, another new launch for Europe.
Under their ‘Designed to Perform’ banner, Viridian has been launched with two titles, Double Happiness and Geisha, and the cabinet is ‘future-proofed’ as it is ready to accept downloadable and server-based content. Indeed, the cabinet was so well received it won first place in Global Gaming Business Magazine’s Technology Awards for Best Slot.
Aristocrat is about much more than simply slots these days; also on the stand was the excellent PokerPro product, including its newer incarnations (which will be seen in a forthcoming issue of Casino International), and Ace Interactive, with their SGB solution; Interblock had the bulk of their product on a separate stand. Aristocrat has, in the last two years, genuinely become a gaming solutions provider, with interesting and exciting product.
Aristocrat’s Executive General Manager (EMEA) Nick Khin summed up ICE for the company:  “Overall, we had a very successful show. ICE 2008 has proved, once again, to be a unique platform to launch new products, stimulate the market and strengthen relationships with our customers in the region. I’m pleased to report that Aristocrat, ACE Interactive and PokerTek have succeeded on all three accounts – the show has been a great start to 2008.”
Speaking of Interblock, they had their striking Organic range on show at their large, impressive stand, including a machine which the company says is the most expensive in the world at the moment – G4 Organic Blackjack, weighing in at around 750,000 Euro. However, the objective for the company is not to sell this striking electro-mechanical game, but rather to enter into a lease agreement and profit share with operators. Fitting into the overall Organic styling, it’s a very striking machine, with six or seven player positions and a simple to understand interface. You can read more about this on page 30, this issue, where we interview Elektroncek CEO Thomas Zvipelj.
Money Controls had their Ardac Elite as the focus of their exhibition, which was of course launched shortly before ICE 2007. In the last year it’s proven itself in the field to the extent that there are now more than 30,000 units in place worldwide.
Not a company to rest on their laurels, Money Controls have added a four-way barcode reading option to the Elite, as well as a neat idea which takes away the need to remove the cash box in a dispute. Last note display allows the operator to see the last note inserted on a PDA, simply by connecting it (via USB) to the front of the bill acceptor. This is thanks to Ardac Elite’s image capture and data processing technology, as the device takes a full colour image of every bill and barcode inserted.
Alfastreet cemented a growing reputation with an impressive stand which featured the revamped R8 Roulette in the centre.
Of note is the system which allows single player terminals to connect to different Roulette wheels. As Alfastreet’s Matjaz Petek explains: “Basically it’s the concept that the players can play different wheels from the same terminal. This is not so attractive for small operations, it’s more for bigger operators, who can run a machine 24 hours a day with an automated wheel, then add additional live wheels through the day when the tables are open.”
With a full line-up of product on the stand, Alfastreet apparently took several orders and were constantly busy – perhaps having a cocktail bar on the stand helped!
WMS product has been a highlight of international gaming exhibitions for the last two years, and ICE did not disappoint. In their line of Sensory Immersion gaming, The Wizard of Oz was on show, and their Dirty Harry license, both of which look, sound and feel fantastic. It’s a superb bridge between the casino and arcade gaming experiences.
Bigger Bang Big Event is the next step for their ‘Community Gaming’ experience, and it has to be seen – and preferably played – to be believed. Graphics straight from a console and gameplay to match, this is cheeky, fun and compulsive.
What never ceases to amaze with WMS is the lateral thought that goes into every product – they always seem to have an innovation up their sleeve, whether it’s the frankly stunning Star Trek game in the Adaptive Gaming line, or the almost arcade-like Immersive series. It’s all excellent product and comes across as very customer focussed. Why? Because they’re fun to play, which will keep customers coming back again and again. You’ll be seeing a lot more about WMS product in Casino International very, very soon.
Innocore – the company formerly known as Densitron – launched six new gaming boards at ICE, following on from a very successful G2E. Innocore’s Koen Stomph enthused: “It’s good to see that, especially with the introduction of those new products, we are definitely on the radar screen of manufacturers around. Everyone knows us now, knows our products; we had an extremely successful G2E, and here at ICE we’ve had a really super, super response. So we are very happy people!” We’ll be expanding on Innocore’s product range in a forthcoming issue.
IGT’s product spread was jaw-dropping. A focus for the company – and an area of real growth – is Multi-Level Progressives, and at ICE they showed some of the product which will take this product line yet further forward. The Indiana Jones MLP boasts two new themes, Well of Souls and Treasure of the Incas; the intelligent video layers which bring genuine depth to the playing area are genuinely brilliant. It’s a simple effect which takes the video slot to a new level. Other MLPs on the stand included Star Wars – Empire Strikes Back, which is superb, Diamond Jackpots, Wheel of Fortune Super Spin and two new themes on the Wheel of Fortune MLP slot, New York and Hawaii.
The Advanced Video Platform also boasted a huge number of new titles, of which the most striking was probably the Alien machine, a license based on the science fiction classic. Like all of IGT’s licenses, it looks amazing.
IGT Network Systems exhibited separately, a new move for the company but a welcome one, considering the complexity of the average casino management system. The purpose of the separate exhibit was to educate potential customers to the potential of IGT’s portfolio.
Progressive Gaming was named Technology Manufacturer of the year at the Gaming Awards before ICE, and the resultant mood on the stand was buoyant. The company has worked hard to develop the Casinolink Enterprise Edition, and at the show its latest incarnation featured a new user interface, plus added functionality which includes a range of reporting capabilities and marketing tools.
Also on show was Casinolink Analytics, a feature-rich, role based decision making tool that provides fingertip access to the data needed to make accurate daily business decisions. Many of PGI’s developments have a Microsoft base, which gives it a readily recognised form when the information is published.
There was more though, as Iain London, Director of International Business Development explained: “The debut of our RFID-enabled Roulette table integrated into our Casinolink player tracking and accounting system was another focal point of our stand at ICE. We demonstrated our ability to track the total turnover of a live Roulette table in real time, as well as track an individual player’s turnover via their RFID-enabled ‘colour chips’ for accurate player tracking purposes. While we have been able to do this on games such as Blackjack and Baccarat for some time, it is only because of our High Frequency 13.56 MHz PJM [Phase Jitter Modulation] RFID technology that we are exclusively able to do this for the game of Roulette as well.”
MEI had new product on show too, alongside their stalwart bill validation technology like the SC83. The MEI GEO is an entry level validator, an even more affordable machine with no innate cash box. It’s more for the AWP market, rather than casino gaming, but it’s clear that there is crossover, and with MEI’s quality behind it, it’s a sure winner.
The Bank Note Recycler [BNR] is a fascinating piece of equipment, a payment device where the notes in stock – up to four denominations – are re-used, so the machine needs less refills and changes. The BNR can take up to 600 notes and is surprisingly compact; again, it does not have the gaming market in mind specifically but MEI has had interest and enquiries from gaming companies, so expect developments.
3M’s technology is crying out for bold game designers to embrace it and when the product comes out with their wonderful touchscreen innovations at its heart, players will be astonished and delighted; these games are just a short time away, we’re assured.
ClearTek II is their bedrock technology and, as Jon Temple explains, it made for a good 2007. “2007 has been a phenomenal year for 3M Touch Gaming Systems in Europe, we’ve seen fantastic growth. In 2008 we’re looking forward to a very healthy year of substantial growth again.” He continued: “Over the years we’ve seen lots of other technologies come on board, lots of other manufacturers, but around the show today you’ll see that the majority of machines use 3M capacitive product. They’ve stuck with 3M because of the level of support that we give, proven points about their technology, their robustness, their reliability, which is really a testament to the product service that we’re offering.”
Octavian’s ICE presence focussed very much on systems, with GateManager and CashManager at the forefront. These applications are designed to integrate with other software such as Octavian’s own Accounting, Control, Progressives slot management system to give the operator an end-to-end table and slot management solution.
Their innovative Maverick flat-pack slot machine, an affordable and easy to ship self-assembly EGM which is perfect for developing or infant gaming markets. Powered by Octavian’s new Rebel platform, and running Octavian gaming product, this is expected to drive growth for Octavian International worldwide.
Finally, Octavian agreed a deal to distribute the TableMAX video table, a patented, state-of-the-art multiplayer video gaming machine that enables multiple players to enjoy simulated versions of traditional casino card games.
We’ll be bringing a breakdown of the fascinating GateManager and CashManager systems in a future issue of Casino International.
Signs4U’s continuing success was highlighted with a stand of their own – at some previous exhibitions, the company worked from IGT’s stand, as some of their finest product was on show there. This year at ICE though, they had their own space and made the most of it. Alongside their undoubtedly excellent signs, they were promoting their new mystery jackpot solution, which was developed with a Las Vegas mystery jackpot specialist. You’ll be reading more on this soon in this very magazine…
Gaming technology company Amatic introduced their Multi Game Terminal, a dual use mobile game station with a widescreen monitor which is for use in both the casino and street markets.
Their new X-3000 cabinet was another highlight; it meets international technical standards like TITO and cashless transactions. Amatic were also showing their Monaco Millions Jackpot system, and four new game titles as well. Their stand was very busy, buzzing with customers and the atmosphere was very positive.
Suzo-Happ, as ever, had two booths, with one in ATEI and one in ICE, and by all accounts the show was a great success. In ICE, their RGB toppers got plenty of attention, as did the Xenon variety. Of course, much of the company’s strength is in the products they distribute, such as FutureLogic and Elo Touchsystems, and the latter presented Suzo International Managing Director Marcel Oelen with an award during the show because of a record-breaking year.
ICE 2008 also saw Suzo-Happ presenting the Elixir Gaming range for the first time, which adds further strength to the company’s gaming catalogue.
Gaming Support had some great innovations on their stand, extensions to existing products and new launches too. Their already-excellent Jackpot Junction has been improved and can now be tied into a Roulette wheel, to bring a mystery jackpot to this popular table game. It’s such a simple idea, one wonders why it’s not been done before; but now it has, and done brilliantly. The Jackpot Junction Table Bonus Module ties into a casino’s multimedia to alert customers about jackpot wins and bring some added excitement to the tables. For example, if the ball lands in ‘18’, a win could be triggered, and alerts go up on to plasma screens, across the audio set-up and more; and of course, one lucky player wins big, which will always keep people coming back. It can tie into any standard Roulette wheel (on their stand it ran off a Cammegh wheel).
Also on Gaming Support’s stand was Checkpoint Charlie. Far from being as sinister as it sounds, this is a way for casinos to monitor foot traffic and work out which parts of the casino are ‘hot’, which are ‘cold’ and when; then work out what they can do about it. Again, it’s a simple idea, one which is used in supermarkets, where sensors monitor and calculate movement patterns; it’s wireless and works in real-time, and could be a very effective tool for maximising profits on the casino floor in future. Combine this with, for example, Jackpot Junction and cold areas become hot, there are no spikes of demand on the floor to tax staff and everyone – especially the customer – is a winner.
Gaming Support also promoted their Powerbank customised jackpot system, aimed at small and medium-sized casinos that want flexibility and personalisation in their jackpots rather than a generic theme. A casino with a strong locals market could certainly benefit from this, for example. Best of all, it works with any slot machine.
Gaming Partners International [GPI] were promoting their RFID solutions with live demos, but the main focus and buzz was centred around their RFID poker solution. This brilliant product allows a casino to work out rake instantly, and all the commissions perfectly, so no more mistakes – not to mention the increased security it brings.
GPI’s Christophe Leparoux was pleased, as well, with the type of customer ICE brought to them. “Decision makers,” he said; “People who came to see things they wanted to see with some specific interests. It’s been a good show altogether and some good quality people have visited us.” What more can an exhibitor ask for? 
TCSJOHNHUXLEY had a huge range of product on their stand, which in itself is not a surprise. What surprised really is the diversity of product. For example, they were promoting BrandAroma, which is marketing smells and the power of a pleasant fragrance in a hotel, casino or wherever. With many countries bringing in smoking bans, the potential popularity for this is huge. Cigarette smoke can mask a variety of other smells, which have come to the fore with no tobacco in clubs – but with BrandAroma, as TCSJH’s Luke Davis explained: “It can also include an ‘odour foil’, which is a technology that gets the molecular level of the smell and actually changes it. So it’s not just hiding the smell with another smell, it’s actually changing the smell.”
Genius.
There really was too much to go into any detail here on the stand, so we’ll just touch on a few things. MultiPLAY Roulette was prominent. Last year it was a concept, this year it’s a commercially available product. It allows the speed of electronic table gaming to combine with a live Roulette wheel – and furthermore, is configurable in a ‘T’ shape, so you can have up to 21 players on a live wheel.
The Multi-Cash Terminal range is a selection of money-handling devices made by German company CMI. The system ranges from simple note and coin exchanges all the way through to a fully functional cash handling system that can do everything from loyalty, jackpot bonusing, through to smartcard and cashless gaming within the environment, all through one terminal. It suits many different environments, not just in casinos but across the gaming industry.
EurasiaTrak Poker Plus is a fully-encompassed poker product which has the full power of the EurasiaTrak RFID system in it. What this basically means is an operator can have a full poker RFID system without having to integrate it into a full casino management system. As most poker rooms run as a separate cash line, they’ve got a different management structure; it’s a great way for smaller casinos, for example, to break into the RFID arena with lots of benefits.
We’ve not even mentioned the Videobet product, or Big Tony’s Texas Hold’Em (where a computer player will actually bluff the live player – most ingenious) – but rest assured, we’ll be looking at them in greater detail in a future issue.
Innovative Technology Limited, the UK-based bill validator experts, had a 30 per cent increase in stand visitors at the 2008 show, which is a success by anyone’s standards. Much of the interest from major manufacturers and operators was directed at the NV200, their latest high application validator which is enjoying positive feedback from field tests.
The new BV20 was considered to be both compact and quick for a low cost validator and, as such, attracted interest from low cost machine manufacturers and operators alike.
ITL’s BV100 is generating impressive sales in both North and South America with significant interest being shown from Eastern Europe customers.
The well-established NV9 and NV10 bank note validators continue to uphold the standard seen in their previous models and remain as popular as ever in the gaming and amusement industry.
LVGI were showing the latest incarnation of their PlayerVision product which has been wowing operators worldwide. Jon Berkley, President and CEO of Las Vegas Gaming Inc, explained the product: “At G2E 2007 we launched a new product in the industry called BonusVision. What we’re really focused on is providing server-based software applications, but the way we’re doing it is we actually use the existing infrastructure in a casino whether that be a bonus controller, player tracking system, sports book, racing tote, we access the existing server infrastructure within the casino, mine that data and put that into a software application directly on the existing gaming machine.
With that we’re opening up windows and putting in AdVision which is advertising directly on the slot machine, PVTV, player vision TV which takes from a media player from the cable feed or whatever, a simul-cast sport event or perhaps any type of television. With that we add WagerVision and we’re adding to a race book, a race tote, sports book where you’re able to wager and then watch the event right on the slot machine at the same time. BonusVision we’re tying to a bonusing meter and instead of running those bonus meters up on a flat panel screen somewhere, we’re actually pulling those down directly onto the game screen and we’re able to run mystery jackpots, progressives, on the existing game along with the celebration  note.”
It’s fantastic and has huge potential for the operator, especially in a casino where a sports betting is allowed. A superb product.
Bally Technologies exhibited under its “The Future… Today!” banner, and pride of place was taken by the new GameMaker HD multi-game platform, along with a few other new faces like the CineReels seven-reel stepper and their world-renowned systems technology.
The ALPHA Elite platform was out in full force in all varieties, including the ALPHA Elite V32 video cabinet, with its 32” vertical touchscreen, and the V20/20 – which houses the GameMaker HD – which boasts twin 20” touchscreens. Alongside these was the new ALPHA Elite S9E stepper slot, with a striking top box-mounted 20” LCD screen.
Of course, all of the cabinets featured new game titles, all running on the Bally ALPHA operating system.
Additionally, there was the international debut of CineReels, a new stepper concept that utilizes the highly successful CineVision slant-style video slot cabinet incorporating up to seven electromechanical reels — apparently, an industry first. Multiple game titles in three-, four-, five- and seven-reel configurations were on display.
Giesecke & Devrient were very excited about their latest development. Last year, of course, they had the Caion kiosk, a brilliant piece of design and supremely functional. This year, they were pushing the BPS 200, which actually signifies a major step for casino accounting – the ability to accept notes and coupons in the same batch and have them sorted automatically. G&D’s Josef Schoettl explains: “The BPS is one of our major products and it’s in the market already, but new for this year, for ICE, is the functionality to process and read tickets, TITO tickets, in one step.
“In a TITO environment they can process the notes and the tickets in one step, the notes get separated from the tickets and the notes get counted and the value gets verified and counted and the tickets read the barcode numbers and the list of all the bar codes from a certain slot machine get sent to a central banking system – all in one step. At the moment it’s more desk top counters, you have to do it in two or several steps, to separate the notes from the tickets first, then count the tickets… With the BPS 200 we can do both. So that’s basically the latest technology industry development on the BPS 200 side.
“The reason we developed this is because we have a couple of customers already using the BPS 200 in casinos, and now they are going to implement TITO solutions and are asking us if we can also read the tickets. It’s going to be available in summer 2008, but the first tests and the first field tests are already successful.”
Tranchant’s stand was next to their allies Aristocrat and the fruits of their labour were visible for all to see atop Aristocrat’s Money Train Multilink. The sign for this – which was striking in itself – featured Alioscopy, a process which creates startling 3D effects on either video imagery or stills. It’s really a very arresting effect.
Groupe Tranchant President Sébastien Tranchant explained: “The gaming world is saturated with images, affecting viewers’ global attention. Alioscopy glass-free 3-D displays and panels appeal much more to customers by hovering content out towards them. They revolutionise the visual impact of messages, enhancing the corporate image of a casino’s business. Replacing standard video displays with Alioscopy 3-D displays can boost communication and significantly increase visitor awareness.”
Arguably most interesting from Tranchant’s stand, though, was the cashless system designed by TGT which allows players (after registration) to play between machines on either a personalised ticket – or their fingerprint. A fantastic development you will be reading more about in these very pages.
ICE 2008 was a resounding success – roll on 2009.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend